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alpine w-910 map update

13K views 48 replies 5 participants last post by  Randyman... 
#1 ·
has anybody done the map update on there alpine w-910? I did mine last month, and now mines useless. Called alpine and he said, sorry about your luck, theres a disclaimer before you installed it.
Mine just locks up now on gps, saying auto detecting gps signal, worked perfect before update. Anybody had the problem and might know of a solution?
 
#2 ·
Bump. I've been aching for a map update (the W910 kindly reminds me to bug Alpine for an update once a year, and now 2 years later I see Alpine finally released one!).

Obviously speaking about this:
Alpine Electronics of America, Inc.

Has anyone else had issues after updating? Seems like it contains quite a few worthwhile improvements along with the Map database and POI updates...

Thanks for any reports from the field :cool:
 
#3 ·
Well that sucks as I wouldn't mind updating mine, but not at the expense of it locking up on me. Truth be told I never use the darn thing anyway and wish there were a way that I could eliminate it completely. :D
 
#4 ·
Well don't do it.. Even the new features suck when it does work. I wanted to go back to the way it was, but alpine said I would have to send it in and have the main board replaced.. At my expense. As much as I like alpine products, I think this will be the last one I buy
 
#6 ·
I agree. I was hoping there was a way to revert it back to default when I called. I was just going to suck up the 100.00 it cost for the upgrade as a loss. But then to be told I was SOL, wasn't what I wanted to hear.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Not with AI-NET and H800 integration :( But if you have a RUX-C800 with your H800, you can basically use any HU you want to and control DSP & Volume from the RUX...

Ruthless bump!

I'm looking for more reports of Alpine Map Update success before I drop $100 and possibly brick my INA-W910 like jrgreene1968 did (so sorry to hear about that, jrgreene1968!!!).

Thanks for ANY additional input from anyone that has performed this Alpine Map update. :cool:
 
#9 ·
Gonna brave it out. NVD-W912 Map Update ORDERED!!!

I'll cross my fingers that the map updates and improvements in NAV software will be worth the stress I inflict on myself during the update procedure :D

Please wish me luck. Will obviously report back with results once done...

Worst case scenario: I brick the W910, and will limp-by with an iPod and the RUX-C800+H800 running standalone...

Cross-posted in the other two threads as well...

:cool:
 
#10 ·
Ok so based upon the fact that you were brave enough to try it, I said screw it and ordered it also. Worse comes to worse, I can always use my other Alpine radio with my H800 and my C800. :D
 
#11 ·
We're in this together :beerchug:

I'm ambivalently awaiting the Map Update SD Card and one of two possible outcomes! :wacky:

I'm curious if having the H800 connected to the W910 could have any impact on the update procedure? I wouldn't instinctually see any issues, but I'm curious if we could compare Bollwerk's and jrgreene1968 exact Alpine/Ai-Net setups at the time of updating, and their exact Map Update procedures?

Maybe we can determine if a system variance or other actions during the update process could result in a bricked unit? I'll admit I'm a little hesitant - but screw it! Plan on crossing my fingers and following the instructions to the letter.

Also cross-posted this post/link in the main Map Update thread :)
 
#12 ·
I'm not sure, but one thing that I can readily say is it has to be better then what I have currently. I purchased my 910 used from a forum member and no amount of resetting that I do will remove the home info in navi as his. So effectively if I want/ need to use the navi as a guide to my home from somewhere, I have to manually put it in as a destination each and every time.
 
#13 ·
Not to second guess you, but have you tried this instead of "resetting" the unit:

Save your desired location in your address book (not as "Home", but just as a plain entry in your address book).
Then search for and select this address book entry as your destination.
Then click the "Options" button on the lower right.
You'll see a "Set as HOME" button spanning across the bottom of the screen.
Select an icon and save.

I apologize if you've (very likely) already tried this :eek:
 
#14 ·
No, I have not tried that and trust me I appreciate the fact of you suggesting it. Time to head out yo the garage and see if that does anything for this unit. Thanks again, and when my sd card arrives, I will let you Post hopefully the good outcome. :)
 
#16 ·
Looking for a Tuesday delivery here. Will likely hold off until my day off on Thursday before I take the plunge into the unknown (will either end up with a brick, or a better Navigation experience!).

Did you figure out how to change the "Home" address on your second-hand W910? :)
 
#21 ·
Well the audio still works, just the nav got screwed up. It worked every once in awhile, but probably 90% of the time if I try the nav it will say looking for gps signal, and then locks up, have to turn off head unit and turn back on. So I basically just have a 1200 dollar CD player
 
#22 ·
Mine says the same thing about looking for the GPS signal. That's without me doing this upgrade and I know it has nothing to do with antenna placement. It's like its a hit or miss with these 910 units.
 
#24 ·
Yes the 701 etc all work fine.. Haven't actually tried pressing audio twice since the update.. It's got me so disgusted I haven't messed with it anymore. Maybe they will come out with another update and I can un break it, lol
 
#25 ·
I'm getting a little ahead of myself here (just hoping the update works at this point!), but I was re-reading the NVD-W912 update webpage, and I saw this listed under "Additional features":

So does this mean we can also buy a current 2015 Map Database from NNG? While I'm not a fan of all of the cash required on the Alpine update then an NNG update to the update, if means current maps and POI's, I'd like to investigate further.

Anyone have any info on this? :cool:
 
#27 ·
Good timing :) Please do let us know what they say.

My card should be on my doorstep when I get home. Might brave it out tonight, but will likely hold off til my day off on Thursday so I can take my sweet time (and do plan on disconnecting my H800 and DVD Changer before the update as a preventative measure)

:cool:
 
#29 ·
Pooh. Was figuring as much. I did poke around the NNG website - and we might be able to order directly from there.

What scares me is the NNG update procedure involves writing directly to the $100 Alpine SD Card with possibility of potential issues. Seeing how the Alpine update card straight from Alpine has exhibited issues for some users, I'd be even more leery of trying to "DIY" the updates on the $100 Alpine SD Card with unknown results.

And I'm 100% sure Alpine will wash their hands of any support for NNG Updates, and I'd bet NNG doesn't offer support for specific models and resultant update issues. Support for this is likely non-existent from either side.

Well, I'm not gonna touch that one with a 20 foot pole until I can get confirmation that someone has successfully done an NNG MAP Update on an updated W910.

:cool:
 
#30 ·
Well when my sd card arrives on Friday, I'll give it a test run and see what I can see with it. If it crashes and burns, then my Alpine CDA-137BTi will be the new kid on the block in that car......
 
#31 ·
SD Card has arrived! But I decided to get a buzz on after work, so I'm wisely waiting until Thursday to perform the update :drunk:

:beerchug:
 
#32 ·
Deed is done :devilish: Happy to report success!!! :biggrinflip:

I'll detail my 'round-about update procedure for anyone interested. I'm generally a bit more anal than most sensible humans (often to no benefit, but sometimes pays off :p ). You can decide for yourself which of my actions seem inconsequential, and which might just be a good darn idea :)

!!!RAMBLE WARNING!!!

I decided to disconnect the PXA-H800 (obviously included the RUX-C800 as it connects to the H800 and not the W910) and DHA-S960 DVD Changer Ai-NET connections for ****s and grins.

jrgreene1968 had an H701 connected when he experienced issues, so I erred on the side of caution (I'm still not sure if Bollwerk had any Ai-NET gear connected during his successful update procedure).

I also have an iPod connected 24/7, and decided to disconnect it as well. Also made sure I didn't have any DVD's or CD's in the W910's Transport prior to updating.

So: As far as the W910 was concerned, it was the ONLY unit in the system. Figured that was a good place to start.


I decided to actually start my truck just to make sure it wouldn't shut off by accident (Modern vehicles will often shut-off if left "ON" w/o actually running after a pre-determined duration of non-activity). I did not want to risk any type of "Power Down" possibilities during the update procedure.

I was also parked in my garage where the GPS Antenna would not pick up and lock onto any GPS Satellites. I SERIOUSLY doubt this had any possible impact on the update, but that's the condition I applied my successful update in.


This might be of significance:
Some of you might know; every once in 10-20 power-cycles, the W910's Navigation can be extremely sluggish (requiring a good 2 minutes after power-up to become responsive at all). This happened on the power-on sequence when I was planning to insert the SD Card and begin the update.

Instead of proceeding with the update, I decided to wait for the Navigation to become responsive (at least 2 f-ing' minutes!). I then went back to the Audio display (HD Radio since I had all other inputs disconnected).

I then powered-down the vehicle (removed key completely), waited a good 30 seconds, and re-started the vehicle (Straight from "Vehicle Off" to "Key in and STRAIGHT to START/Ignition without hanging around "ACC ON" mode where a double power-cycle will occur).

The W910 did not exhibit the sporadic Navigation Boot-Up Delay mentioned above, and I took this as a good sign the W910 booted cleanly. Keep in mind I booted to the AUDIO/RADIO menu in every instance.



Sensing a "clean boot" this time, I dove in and inserted the SD Card, closed the face, and waited a good 30 seconds before doing anything else.

Once I accessed the "MAP" button, I was prompted with the update pop-up (as the directions mention). I followed the prompts, and observed the two distinct update phases mentioned in the directions.

The second update phase seems like it doesn't happen, but it does (3-Seconds, then about 15 seconds).

DO NOT POWER OFF THE VEHICLE ANYTIME SOON!!! LEAVE THE VEHICLE RUNNING/ 'ACC ON' FOR A WHILE! (Like 2-3 minutes minimum).

It will pop-up another prompt claiming the update is done and automatically swap to the AUDIO Screen, but I waited a good minute or more before attempting any further actions (just leave the car "ON", and wait for a minute).



A bit foggy here, but I believe when I selected the "MAP" button again, it seemed to finish the update procedure (this was not mentioned in the directions - seemed like a 3rd step with a progress bar).

I went thought the setup prompts, and checked every possible setting.

Confirmed everything, ended up with a Map that showed me in Canada (was still in my garage w/o any access to GPS Satellites).



I WENT BACK TO THE AUDIO MENU, AND THE HD RADIO PRIOR TO POWERING OFF (allows the unit to BOOT to the Audio Menu/Radio, not the GPS Map).

I powered the truck off. Waited a good 30 seconds, and started her back up (again, straight from "Key In" to "START" w/o hanging around the "ACC ON" area where a double-power-cycle will obviously happen).

Booted to the Radio as expected. Waited a good 30 seconds, then selected "MAP" button again. GPS loaded just fine.

Played around with the GPS for a quick second (still didn't have satellite visibility / in the garage), WENT BACK TO "HD RADIO" and powered the vehicle off again.



While powered-off, I re-connected the H800 (and RUX), and re-started the vehicle again. The W910 powered up to HD-Radio and the H800 was passing audio again (WHEW!!!).

Pulled out of the garage, and a short while later had GPS Reception.

WOOT!

So yes - Extremely anal procedure performed over 'yander. I'm left with a functional W910 in the end so I'm happy!


The new Software also mentions NNG Updates can be applied. I'm still somewhat leery to check that out. I'll get used to the new Navigation software and see if I want to risk another Map update to bring this thing into 2015...

:cool:
 
#34 ·
I'm sure you'll be fine. I'm not your average bear, and tend to obsess on the unimportant details. I just wanted to document my steps that resulted in a successful update procedure for anyone interested.

I was specifically looking to eliminate whatever variables could cause any issues similar to jrgreene1968's failed update :) I did not want to end up with a borked unit at any cost...

:cool:
 
#36 ·
Possible bad news on the update:

On the way to work today (yep, working on Easter :( ), my W910’s GPS was acting-up in a manner very similar to jrgreene’s (the OP). I believe it initially came up with something like “Looking for GPS” (different from the “Locating Satellites” that is expected until it can get a lock).

As I entered my destination/route (Work), it calculated the route (right before pressing “GO” to begin the route), and then gave me an error across the top of that screen. It said “Your GPS Receiver is disabled” and had a green “ENABLE NOW” button to the right. Pressing “ENABLE NOW” seems to re-render the route again, but the button is still present and doesn’t seem to have any effect on acquiring a GPS signal.

Now, on the MAP screen, the upper left info window (where the turn-by-turn is usually listed) now shows a picture of a satellite and says “Autodetecting GPS Receiver” (as if the Navigation OS can’t properly communicate with the onboard GPS receiver).

This same result happened after 4 vehicle power-downs on the way to work (+12V acc power turned off). I have NOT performed a full powercycle (removing + 12v constant power) or a “reset” of the unit. Might attempt that later tonight after work.

Since I performed the NVD-W912 update last month, I had a few instances where “Locating Satellites” would appear for 10-15 minutes (!) without any location data, but it seemed to eventually locate and begin navigating.

This blows. I’m hoping it is something else, but the symptoms and timing seem eerily similar to jrgreene’s experience in the first post (been about a month since I installed the NVD-W912 update card, and the resulting NAV issue seems identical). I can still back-out of the Navigation screens and get back to the Audio menu - so it seems jrgreene's experience is a little different from mine (he has to power-down if he hits the Navigation screen and wants to get back to the Audio screen).

If this is a result of a “borked” Alpine Navigation software update, you can bet I will not be purchasing another Alpine navigation HU. I’d likely swap to a Kenwood with the lovely (and familiar) Garmin GPS software.

Still have the RUX and H800 to handle DSP, but this Alpine Navigation experience is plain unacceptable and I’m unlikely to ever purchase another Alpine unit in my life (after dropping well over $2K recently, and likely over $4K total). If Alpine still had Ai-NET – MAYBE - but being there is no appreciable benefit of using a current Alpine GPS/HU with the H800, there is zero need to stick with Alpine and their crappy Navigation choices.

Once I determine exactly what is happening, I’ll be plastering this all over the Interwebs to prevent other W910 owners from giving Alpine $100 for the luxury of a month of working NVD-W912 Map updates followed by a borked unit. Nothing like paying Alpine $100 to have them break your $1200 unit with zero support (even though we just paid Alpine $100 for the update!).

Simply unbelievable. I'd avoid this update for now...

I'm going on a trip next weekend, and will be using my old Garmin GPS stuck to the windshield (looks so cheesy!). What great timing :mad: ...

:cool:
 
#37 ·
Wow. Sorry to hear about your experience...but I appreciate your efforts in sharing every detail as it definitely is helpful to other members and owners of this unit. I NEVER use the navigation of this unit but contemplated the update for the mere notion of possible resale value or just staying "current". Thank you again for the details. I hope you're able to figure out a solution. Good luck.
 
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